Sono Motors Sion: Progress is being made!
What a cry for help! "We didn't make it" was the headline from Sono Motors - sounds terrible, but in reality, it needs to be differentiated! In short, the long Sion story goes: Currently, the entire financial market is drying up, and capital is moving from risk back to "safer" havens where it could at least provide a small, but secure quarterly dividend. All startups and tech stocks are currently suffering from this, including Sono Motors.
They are doing well with solar panels for public transport and the commercial vehicle business (especially in the area of temperature-controlled and dry freight). For the Sion passenger car, the production facilities now need to be ordered – especially expensive robotic welding lines for the aluminum space frame, which need to be installed at Valmet Automotive. And since suppliers are now among the companies that the capital market distrusts, the required facilities have to be financed by the clients themselves. Meanwhile, Finnish Valmet Automotive colleagues have already been sent to Munich to lend a hand with another development partner at Frankfurter Ring on the last prototypes and prepare for pre-series production.
The contacts with Valmet Automotive are excellent
Upon inquiry, Laurin Hahn confirmed that the relationship with Valmet Automotive is still very good, and our conversation – just two weeks ago with Valmet Automotive CEO Olaf Bongwald revealed that they are looking forward to the new client. Especially as Sono is set to bring larger volumes than the Lightyear 0, which also started in early December – also a solar model. The fact that the Dutch have also announced a mass-produced solar vehicle is viewed positively by Sono COO Thomas Hausch because it means the topic of solar cars is gaining momentum. Moreover, Sono has also managed to attract a major car manufacturer for its panels, further strengthening the concept.
The large production lines are expensive and need to be paid for in advance
So, where is the problem? Christians, Hahn, and Hausch are very open about it: They are primarily committed to the community and usually secure financing at least six months before it's needed. That it was clear more funds of €100 million were needed for pre-series production was apparent – also that it would be difficult to raise this amount in further financing rounds all at once. According to Hahn, they currently have €55 million in reserve – enough to keep Sono Motors including its roughly 400 employees running, but not enough to fund the manufacturing lines for the Sion. This also means they could refund the €44 million advance from the community. That's why they once again turned to them: If 3,500 orderers fully pay for their vehicles, the gap would be closed, especially since there are currently over 40,000 interested parties in reserve, who could bring in a potential of €1 billion in cash. Therefore, Hahn has no worries about the production ramp-up and the first full production year because it is already sold out.
Initial reactions from the community have also been positive: Apart from the server temporarily crashing, they received good feedback. "We wouldn't have made this call if we didn't see a chance to continue," explained Hahn, and Hausch added that they saw the gap coming but wanted to inform in time, meaning: the Sion project could now be "put on ice" or "slowed down" in an orderly manner without causing major disruptions within Sono and having to suddenly file for unexpected bankruptcy tomorrow.
Clean design: Extremely mature driving characteristics
Even the US tour yielded positive feedback: There is also potential for the Sion in the States, where CTO Markus Volmer provided two near-production prototypes for driving on a closed track.
We get in and realize: The doors can be opened pleasantly wide, they close solidly, and the seating is comfortable. Four large passengers can fit well, there remains a generous trunk in the rear, and even the filter moss has made it into the (pre-)series. The haptics and optics of the interior strike a pleasing balance between utilitarian and cozy, and we turn the steering column lever to "D" to start driving. You hear practically nothing, and even on nasty joints, the Sion remains quiet and crackle-free! The chassis and steering have been calibrated "roughly" for these drives but show remarkable maturity! The Sion finds a wonderful synthesis of comfort and firmness, the steering scores with precise tuning and, despite the front motor, with a strong steering angle for a tight turning circle and good maneuverability.
Up to 5,800 kilometers of range solely from solar power: In Munich, averaged over ten years
In Munich, one could generate an average of 5,800 kilometers of range per year from solar power, while in California, it’s even possible to reach over 9,000 kilometers. According to Volmer, this is partly because the efficiency of the solar panels has increased by nearly thirty percent since development began, while prices have dropped by almost eighty percent. And in terms of efficiency, even more is possible in the future...
Which is why it would be a shame if the series production of the Sion were to fail now due to a few tools – okay, expensive robot streets. Because even though it took a long time: the Sion has succeeded in becoming an affordable and well-designed addition to the compact segment. And therefore deserves to finally go into (pre-)series production in 2023!
What does that mean?
Yes, Sono Motors is taking a long time to bring the Sion to series production and has surely stumbled over one or two hurdles. But that is also because they are acting honestly (see video) and for that reason, they always communicate and proceed with caution. And right now they are sounding the alarm before it’s too late. Hopefully, they can once again count on a fantastic community – which has proven to be more loyal and stable than some investors in the fast-paced capital market.
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